The College of Human Ecology (CHE) held the first of a series of Academic and Administrative Onboarding Seminars (AAOS) on March 25, 2025, at the CHE Multi-purpose Hall (MPH) to orient new academic and administrative staff to the university and college’s policies, programs, and innovative systems. 

This initiative was designed to equip the college’s human resources with critical knowledge and updated skills to thrive and succeed in the CHE academic environment.

The March seminar was divided into two parts, the first focusing on the  Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) in Research. This was in solidarity with the celebration of National Women’s Month in March and co-organized with the CHE Gender Committee. 

Dr. Blesshe L. Querijero, a faculty member at CHE and a certified gender specialist of the Philippine Commission on Women, discussed the importance of gender responsiveness in government programs. 

She also guided the participants in using the HGDG checklist of accomplishments and integrating the gender analysis tools in research and academic progress. 

The second part of the seminar focused on HR forms and applications. Rosalyn Mabel M. Jimera, administrative officer and chief of the HRDO Position Classification and Staff Development Section, led the orientation on their use in HR planning and management and discussed the university’s compliance with government civil service requirements. 

Vladimir G. Amatorio, administrative officer and head of the Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment (RSA) Section of HRDO, discussed the university’s recruitment, selection, and appointment process.

According to him, UP created the Personnel Unified Systems Outlook (PUSO) system to streamline administrative tasks, including the submission of basic personnel documents. Amatorio demonstrated the Basic Paper process within the system, including the preparers and approvers dashboards. 

The university made available the PUSO System and HR App starting April 1, 2025. The HR App integrates manual and biometric Daily Time Records (DTR), enabling the automated generation of attendance data. 

Abril A. Moldez, a computer programmer at UPLB’s Digital Innovations Center, elaborated on this process, also addressing areas for improvement and incorporating feedback from participants during the discussion.

Mr. Russel Christian L. Cruz of DIC introduced the HR Personal Data Sheet (PDS), an automated version of the traditional PDS format. This system allows users to input all required information without concerns about formatting or legibility issues associated with handwritten entries. 

Additionally, Carl Janzell Oropesa of DIC presented the automated SALN feature within the app. This tool enables employees to efficiently record their assets and liabilities, automatically generating a compliant SALN format. It also retains previous SALN submissions, allowing users to update and reuse data for future declarations.

The seminar series cultivates a knowledgeable and empowered workforce committed to promoting efficiency, equity, and excellence in the University. The next seminar topics will deep dive into grantmanship, customer service, use of AI tools in administrative processes and planning, as well as deepening research management skills and ethics. (Eunice del Rosario, Jennifer Marie S. Amparo, Cristina Dimaano, Byron Eusebio)